Two more individuals who contracted Klebsiella pneumoniae at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center have died, bringing the total to nine patient deaths, the hospital said June 7.
Virginia Mason said it's difficult to confirm whether K. pneumoniae caused or contributed to the deaths due to the medical complexity of the patients' conditions.
In total, 33 patients have developed K. pneumoniae infections tied to the outbreak, which began in October 2022. The most recent confirmed case was identified May 4.
Hospital leaders and health officials are still working to identify the source of the outbreak.
"While the risk of transmission is extremely low for patients, we continue to take proactive steps to avoid additional transmission," Sydney Bersante, RN, interim president of Virginia Mason Medical Center, said in a June 7 update. "We are continuing to investigate the source of this outbreak jointly with local and state public health partners."